Method for erecting suspended building components



C. FREY Feb. 74, 1967 METHOD FOR ERECTING SUSPENDED BUILDING COMPONENTS Filed NOV` 23. 1964 PIE-m4- INVENTOR.

CHR/5 /A N FRE Y 1F15- .EL

United States Patent O M 3,302,363 METHOD FOR EREC'HNG SUSPENDED BUILDHNG COMPONENTS Christian Frey, San Francisco, Calif., assigner to Suspended Structures Incorporated, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Nov. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 413,211 8 Claims. (Cl. 52--745) This application is a continuation-impart of my copending application, Serial No. 229,421, tiled October 9, 1962, for Suspended Module Buildings, now Patent No. 3,226,727.

In the above mentioned copending application, I have discussed and claimed a method for erecting buildings by suspending a plurality of prefabricated modules from a cantilever support portion on a service tower. The erection of buildings in accordance with this method afEords substantial -cost savings by permitting each construction operation to be carried out under ideal conditions and independently of weather conditions while also permitting the use of new building materials and the most efficient use of old materials.

The present invention relates to one specie of the invention of my earlier application which may be particularly important in certain circumstances.

In accordance with the present invention, the cantilever support portion is rst supported at a level substantially below the top of the service column. One tier of preffabricated modules or one tier of prefabricated panels is suspended from the cantilever support portion by any of the conventional methods Stich as by bolting, and the cantilever support portion is lifted to an elevated position providing space under the first tier of modules or panels for insertion of a second tier of modules or panels. A second tier of modules or panels is then suspended from the cantilever support portion, and the steps of lifting the cantilever support portion and attaching further tiers of modules is repeated until the column, cantilever support, and modules form a substantially complete building. Finally, the cantilever support p-ortion is permanently attached to the service column.

This method may be used very advantageously with additional savings in construction 4costs where, ifor instance, two adjacent prefabricated modules or two tiers of prefabricated panels may cooperate together in defining one inhabitable area of the building, and where simplified lifting techniques may be employed for lifting the structure into place.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a building constructed in accordance with the meth-od of this invention with the figure illustrating three consecutive stages in the construction of the building in accordance with this method;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of the building shown in FIG. l as indicated at 3 3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. l but showing a variation of the method of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan View of the building of FIG. 4, and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the building of FIGS. 4 and 5 taken along the plane indicated at 6 6 in FIG. 5.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and particularly to FIG. l, a substantially vertical service tower 10 is erected upon the ground preferably by known slip form techniques as explained in my copending application. A cantilever support portion 12 is then supported adjacent to the service column 10 at a location indicated at stage 3,302,363 Patented Feb. 7, 1967 1 in FIG. 1 substantially below the top of the service column 10. As indicated in FIG. 2, the cantilever support portion 12 employed in the apparatus of FIGS. 1 3 consists of a plurality of steel brace members interconnected together and surrounding the column to provide cantilever support portions projecting laterally from the column for suspending prefabricated modules therefrom.

A plurality of modules 14 are prefabricated at a location remote from the service column 10. As explained in my copending application, the modules are preferably fabricated at a manufacturing factory, and the modules may be finally assembled to some extent and furnished either at the factory or at a finishing installation specially erected near the site of the tower `10. In accordance with the present invention the modules may also be assembled as they are attached to the tower. As indicated in FIG. 3, the modules 14 each contain at least one door panel 16, and a plurality of side walls 13 mounted on the floor panel 16 below the door panel 16 for laterally enclosing a living area. As illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the modules contains only one floor panel with the Iwall panels 18 mounted on the door panel below the floor panel 16 so that two prefabricated modules may cooperate together as explained hereinafter to completely enclose a living area of the building. When this arrangement is employed, the modules may be shipped to the building site in the form of unassembled groups of prefabricated door and wall panels. The oor panel 16 may be attached to the cantilever support portion, and then the walls 18 may be attached to the floor panel 16 preferably by sliding connections on the under side of' the door panel 16.

When the modules 14 have been prefabricated, and the cantilever support portion has been supported in the position of state 1 in FIG. l, a group of the prefabricated modules 14 are moved into position underneath the cantilever support portion 12 and attached to the cantilever support.

The -cantilever support 12 is then lifted from the position of stage l1 to an elevated position above the position of stage 1 and below the top of the column. The support 12 may be lifted `by `any of the conventional means, e.g. crane, hydraulic jacks, etc. This elevated position is indicated in FIG. l as stage 2 where the cantilever support portion 12 has been lifted by a distance equal to the height of the modules 14 which were attached to the cantilever support as the iirst tier of modules.

With the cantilever support portion 12 and rst tier of modules 14 lifted to the position of stage 2, another group of prefabricated modules are moved into place under the rst tier and attached to the bottoms of the modules of the first tier by any suitable means, such as angle brackets 20 in FIG. 3, `so that the oor panel 16A of the lower module cooperates with the floor panel 16 of the upper module to vertically enclose the occupiable area which is laterally enclosed by the walls 18 of the upper module. After the second tier of modules has been attached to the rst tier, the steps of lifting the cantilever support portion 12 and modules 14 and the step of moving new modules into place and attaching them to suspended modules are repeated until the cantilever support reaches an upper area of the service tower 10. At this point, the cantilever support 12 is permanently attached to the top of a service column to complete fabrication of the building in any of the conventional methods such as by bolting. Obviously, when the technique illustrated in FIG. 3 is employed where the floor panel of each lower module encloses the bottom of the upper module, the method may be concluded by attaching a single floor panel without side walls to the bottom of the lowest tier of modules suspended on the building.

In the alternative form of method of this invention illustrated in FIG. 4, the building is erected from at least two generally vertically service towers 22 with a cantilever support portion 24 supported between them in the form of a bridge. The method of erecting the building as illustrated in FIG. 4 is similar to the method illustrated in FIG. l in that the cantilever support portion 24 is rst supported at a lower level of the service towers 22 as indicated at stage 1 in FIG. 4, and a plurality of prefabricated modular units 26 are suspended from the cantilever support portion by cables 28. The cantilever support is then lifted to successive elevated positions, and successive tiers of modular units 26 are suspended from the cantilever support 24 by independent cables which may pass through portions of the walls of upper modular units as explained in my copending application which is hereby incorporated by reference. That is, the cables 28 are in bunches with the entire bunch passing through the units 26 close to the support portion 24. One cable of each bunch of cables 28 is then secured to the oor of these units 26, the remainder of the cables passing on through to the units below. The procedure is then repeated for the next tier. When the method is practiced as illustrated in FIG. 4, each of the modular units is preferably complete to the extent of having both roof and iloor panels and complete side walls which together with the roof and floor panels totally enclose the occupiable area of the module.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the method employed in FIGS. 4 and 5 is readily adapted to the incorporation of special lifting apparatus indicated 'generally at 30 in FIG. 4, and illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 6. This special lifting apparatus includes a telescopic support beam 32 mounted in each end of the cantilever support portion 24 and movable out of the cantilever support portion into supporting engagement with the service tower 22 at the various oor levels 34 'which may be formed in the service tower at the time that it is constructed. An upper frame 36 is mounted on each end of the cantilever Support portion 24 by means of a pair of scissors lift arms 38 which maintain the traine 36 parallel to the length of the cantilever support 24. A telescopic beam 40 may be moved out of the frame 36 to rest upon floor levels 34 of the service tower 22 above the level of the beam 32, and a hydraulic ram 42 is connected between the cantilever support portion 24 and one of the scissors lift arms 3S so that the hydraulic ram 42 may be contracted while the beam 32 is withdrawn yfrom one oor level and then re inserted into an upper floor level when it is desirable to lift the cantilever support portion with its suspended modules from one position to another. The hydraulic ram 42 is double acting so that when the cantilever support portion reaches one elevation on the tower, the frame 36 and beam 4t) may then be raised to another elevation of the tower by the expansion of the hydraulic ram 42 permitting the lift mechanism to repetitively lift the cantilever support portion and its suspended modules up the height of the tower one or more floor levels at a time. When the cantilever support portion reaches the top of the towers 22 as indicated at stage 3 in FIG. 4, the cantilever support portion 24 may be permanently attached to the towers 22, and the lifting mechanisms may be removed. In elevating the support 24 to its highest position, the beam is rested on the top of the towers 22.

The method of this invention is particularly useful in making extremely high-rise buildings having a plurality of service columns and a plurality of cantilever support portions mounted at the same levels between different columns and mounted at different levels between the same columns.

While certain specic embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described in detail herein, it is obvious that many modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

ll. The method of erecting a building which comprises:

A. erecting at least one substantially vertical column on the ground,

B. supporting at least one cantilever support portion adjacent to the column at a first position substantially below the top of the column with the support portion extending laterally from the column,

C. prefabricating a plurality of housing elements at locations remote from the column with said elements including a plurality of floors and a plurality of walls for laterally enclosing occupiable areas adjacent to said floors,

D. moving a rst group of said prefabricated elements from a remote location to a location underneath said support portion,

E. suspending said first group of elements from said support portion with a plurality of walls attached to at least one of said floors laterally enclosing an occupiable area adjacent to said floor,

F. lifting said support portion to an elevated position above said irst position and below the top of said column,

G. moving a second group of said prefabricated elements from a remote location to a location underneath said support portion,

H. suspending said second group of elements from said support portion below said rst group,

I. continuing to lift said support portion and to move and suspend said groups of prefabricated elements until said column and said support portions and prefabricated elements form a substantially complete building, and

I. attaching said support portions to said column.

2. The method of claim l characterized `further in that said step of suspending said second group from said support portion is performed by attaching said second group to said first group.

3. The method of claim l characterized further in that said step of suspending said second group from said support portion is performed by attaching said second group to said support portion independently of said first group.

4. The method of claim I in which said walls of said Iirst group of elements are mounted on the floor of said first group below said floor, and the step of suspending said second group is performed by attaching the floor of said second group to said walls of said rst group to provide a structure in which the oors of said rst and second groups vertically enclose the living area which is laterally enclosed bythe walls of said rst group.

5. The method of erecting a building which comprises:

A. erecting at least one substantially vertical column on the ground,

B. supporting at least one cantilever support portion adjacent to the column at a rst position substantially below the top of the column with the support portion extending laterally from the column,

C. prefabricating a plurality of housing unitsat locations remote from the column with each unit having at least one floor and a plurality of walls on said Hoor for laterally enclosing an occupiable area,

D. moving a first one of said prefabricated units from a remote location to a location underneath said support portion,

E. suspending said first unit from said support portion,

F. lifting said support portion to an elevated position above said iirst position and below the top of said column,

G. moving a second one of said prefabricated units from a remote location to a location underneath said support portion,

H. suspending said second unit from said support portion below said first unit,

I. continuing to lift said support portion and to move and suspend said prefabricated units until said column and said support portions and prefabricated units form a substantially complete building, and

J. attaching said support portions to said column.

6. The method of claim 5 characterized further in that said step of suspending said second unit from said support portion is performed by attaching said second unit to said rst unit.

7. The method of claim 5 characterized lfurther in that said step of suspending said second unit from said support portion is performed by attaching said second unit to said support portion independently of said rst unit.

8. The method of claim 5 in which said Walls are mounted on said prefabricated units below said floors of said units, and the step of suspending said second unit is performed by attachingy the oor of said second unit to said walls of said rst unit to provide a structure in which the floors of said rst and second units vertically enclose the living area which is laterally enclosed by the Walls of said rst unit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,886,962 11/1932 LaRoche 52-236 X 1,988,075 1/1935 Fiorini 52-73 2,499,498 3/1950 Hammond 52-236 X 3,156,071 11/1964 Van Bijlevelt 52-745 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,163,774 4/1958 France. 1,119,499 12/1961 Germany.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

M. O. WARNECKE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF ERECTING A BUILDING WHICH COMPRISES: A. ERECTING AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL COLUMN ON THE GROUND, B. SUPPORTING AT LEAST ONE CANTILEVER SUPPORT PORTION ADJACENT TO THE COLUMN AT A FIRST POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE TOP OF THE COLUMN WITH THE SUPPORT PORTION EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM THE COLUMN, C. PREFABRICATING A PLURALITY OF HOUSING ELEMENTS AT LOCATIONS REMOTE FROM THE COLUMN WITH SAID ELEMENTS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF FLOORS AND A PLURALITY OF WALLS FOR LATERALLY ENCLOSING OCCUPIABLE AREAS ADJACENT TO SAID FLOORS, D. MOVING A FIRST GROUP OF SAID PREFABRICATED ELEMENTS FROM A REMOTE LOCATION TO A LOCATION UNDERNEATH SAID SUPPORT PORTION, E. SUSPENDING SAID FIRST GROUP OF ELEMENTS FROM SAID SUPPORT PORTION WITH A PLURALITY OF WALLS ATTACHED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FLOORS LATERALLY ENCLOSING AN OCCUPIABLE AREA ADJACENT TO SAID FLOOR, F. LIFTING SAID SUPPORT PORTION TO AN ELEVATED POSITION ABOVE SAID FIRST POSITION AND BELOW THE TOP OF SAID COLUMN, G. MOVING A SECOND GROUP OF SAID PREFABRICATED ELEMENTS FROM A REMOTE LOCATION TO A LOCATION UNDERNEATH SAID SUPPORT PORTION, H. SUSPENDING SAID SECOND GROUP OF ELEMENTS FROM SAID SUPPORT PORTION BELOW SAID FIRST GROUP, I. CONTINUING TO LIFT SAID SUPPORT PORTION AND TO MOVE AND SUSPEND SAID GROUPS OF PREFABRICATED ELEMENTS UNTIL SAID COLUMN AND SAID SUPPORT PORTIONS AND PREFABRICATED ELEMENTS FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE BUILDING, AND J. ATTACHING SAID SUPPORT PORTIONS TO SAID COLUMN. 